Thank you, Madam Chair. The biggest concern obviously is the Tuk to Inuvik highway. I am in support of the funding. I do wish this was in the South Slave. I think we also need some of the work and some of the economic development, but I think it is better to move ahead with this project, get the upfront work done, do our due diligence. At the same point, I have some concerns to make sure that after that due diligence is done, we have an evaluation of this project. At that time we can assess whether we want to carry forward. Hopefully at that time we will have worked out our deal with the federal government on their 75/25 deal to the completion of the project, not to the maximum of $150 million.

I would also like to see the department have a plan of how they are going to implement the northern content, like I have indicated in the House before. I want this money to be spent in the North so that it cycles through the North and goes to northern contractors and northern companies. I trust that the Minister of Transportation is also the Minister of ITI and maximize the benefits to the North and that these dollars stay in the North.

My colleagues have expressed a lot of the concerns and I won’t repeat a lot of them, but I definitely will be assessing, once the due diligence is completed, whether it is viable for this project to go forward.

It bothers me a little bit to say we are going to be spending $2.5 million just like it is a drop in the bucket, but millions before we have to assess this project, but on a $250 million project there is some upfront costs that have to be dealt with.

I support the funding for right now. I think it is something that we have to go forward with right now as opposed to delaying it for a year. There are a bunch of projects throughout the North, especially in the South Slave that are always being held up by one process or another. Now we have an opportunity to maybe spend some money in the North and get some progress getting going in the

Northwest Territories. They also need the work. I support the project right now. Thank you.